630 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 15
pastimes of the Lord, which are worth chanting and worth hearing. Such
persons do not care even for the highest material benediction, namely
liberation, to say nothing of other less important benedictions like the
material happiness of the heavenly kingdom.
PURPORT

The transcendental bliss enjoyed by devotees of the Lord is completely
different from the material happiness enjoyed by less intelligent persons.
The less intelligent persons in the material world are engaged by the four
principles of benediction called dharma, artha, kama and moksa. Generally
they prefer to take to religious life to achieve some material benedictien,
the purpose of which is to satisfy the senses. When, by that process, they
become confused or frustrated in fulfilling the maximum amount of sense
enjoyment, they try to become one with the Supreme, which is, according
to their conception, mukti, or liberation. There are five kinds of liberation,
the least important of which is called sayujya, to become one with the
Supreme. Devotees don’t care for such liberation because they are actually
intelligent. Nor are they inclined to accept any of the other four kinds of
liberation, namely to live on the same planet as the Lord, to live with Him
side by side as an associate, to have the same opulence, and to attain the
same bodily features. They are concerned only with glorifying the Supreme
Lord and His auspicious activities. Pure devotional service is sravanam
kirtanam. Pure devotees, who take transcendental pleasure in hearing and
chanting the glories of the Lord, do not care for any kind of liberation,
even if they are offered the five liberations, they refuse to accept them, as
stated in the Bhagavatam in the Third Canto. Materialistic persons aspire
for the sense enjoyment of heavenly pleasure in the heavenly kingdom, but
devotees reject such material pleasure at once. The devotee does not even
care for the post of Indra. A devotee knows that any pleasurable material
position is subject to be annihilated at a certain point. Even if one reaches
the post of Indra, Candra, or any other demigod, he must be dissolved at
a certain stage. A devotee is never interested in such temporary pleasure.
From Vedic scriptures it is understood that sometimes even Brahma and
Indra fall down, but a devotee in the transcendental abode of the Lord
never falls. This transcendental stage of life, in which one feels transcen-
dental pleasure in hearing the Lord’s pastimes, is also recommended by
Lord Caitanya. When Lord Caitanya was talking with Ramananda Raya,
there were varieties of suggestions offered by Ramananda regarding
spiritual realization, but Lord Caitanya rejected all but one—that one
should hear the glories of the Lord in association with pure devotees. That
